Chapter 291 - 135: The True Meaning of Gourmet Food! Encounter at the Weight Loss Training Camp (Part 3)

Chapter 291: Chapter 135: The True Meaning of Gourmet Food! Encounter at the Weight Loss Training Camp (Part 3)

This bite was perfect!

There was a trick to tapping the food against the rice; it allowed the rice to absorb some of the oil from the dish.

This made it less greasy and brought out the aroma of the vegetables.

The celery, in particular, was a perfect match for the beef!

MUNCH MUNCH!

Fang Chang shoveled food into his mouth, one chopstick-full after another. Though the dish was meant to be eaten with rice, he only ever tapped the food against the grains, not eating a single bite of the rice itself.

The sight of him devouring the food made Zhan Yang gulp, his mouth watering.

Damn it!

’Are you a damn shill or what?’

"Boss Su, I’ll pay extra! I want mine blazed, too!"

Su Chen was stir-frying. "Yours can’t be blazed."

The dish he’d just made for Fang Chang, combined with the hint from his White Jade Hand, had given Su Chen a flash of insight.

Most importantly of all...

Su Chen noticed a distinct change in the mission system in his mind.

[Mission Progress: 58/300,000]

A dish that was merely B Level in the practice room had, because he’d changed how he cut the peppers and adjusted the cooking sequence and method, been elevated straight to S Level! This had successfully advanced his mission progress.

’Though this is just a theory, I can’t be certain yet.’

’If only Wang Xiaoyi were here right now...’

If Wang Xiaoyi were to give him a huge burst of experience points, that would prove Su Chen’s theory was correct.

’Everyone’s tastes are different. Fang Chang likes mildly spicy food, so I had to make it mildly spicy.’

’To a chili lover, this dish might seem unremarkable, but for Fang Chang, it was the pinnacle of deliciousness.’

’So... this was an S Level dish tailored specifically for Fang Chang.’

Thinking about it that way, everything suddenly made sense.

Su Chen remembered clearly how he had specially made a stir-fried pork dish for Jiang Wensheng. No matter what he did, that dish couldn’t reach an S Level rating, ultimately getting stuck at a disappointing A Level.

And yet, Jiang Wensheng had devoured it!

Jiang Yuan’s reaction had been more moderate.

It was likely because Jiang Wensheng was older and preferred stronger flavors, so the dish was a perfect match for his palate.

’So... if my theory is correct...’

’...then that’s the reason why some dishes can’t reach the system’s S Class rating!’

’Peak of Flavor represents a sort of objective balance. My own palate is closer to that perfect standard, but individual preferences are never "perfect" in the same way...’

For simple dishes like these, it’s impossible to achieve a universally acclaimed S Level taste. The only way is to tailor the dish to an individual’s palate.

Unlike some dishes, like "Lion’s Head Meatballs with Crab Roe," which are so complex and require such high skill that their potential is much higher—they can be made in a way that almost everyone loves.

But simple, home-style stir-fries are easy to make, which means their flavor ceiling is low. To take them to the next level, you have to match them to a person’s individual taste.

Tsk!

’I’m a genius!’

In the midst of his jumbled thoughts, Su Chen finished stir-frying Zhan Yang’s order.

Since Zhan Yang wanted a normal spice level, Su Chen made it using the standard, A-Level method.

The only difference was, he didn’t let the flames erupt in the wok this time!

The spiciness in Stir-Fried Yellow Beef shouldn’t just come from the peppers; the beef itself has to absorb the heat. That’s why after adding the beef, you need to give it time for the fragrant spice of the peppers to fuse with the meat.

If the heat was too high, that fusion wouldn’t have time to happen.

He plated the finished dish in a bowl.

Zhan Yang was waiting right at the window. The moment he got the bowl, he eagerly stuffed a mouthful of food into his mouth with his chopsticks.

HSSS!!!

Just one bite!

A fine sheen of sweat instantly beaded on the tip of Zhan Yang’s nose.

Aromatic, spicy, salty, and savory flavors, plus the fragrance of all the different ingredients, danced wildly on the tip of his tongue.

So satisfying!

"I’ll have a bowl of rice, too."

Zhan Yang carried his bowl back to the table, hissing as he breathed. It was spicy, but damn, was it satisfying!

Unlike Fang Chang, Zhan Yang mixed the dish directly with his rice and shoveled them both into his mouth.

This helped to slightly reduce the spiciness, and besides, there’s a special kind of magic to mixing a dish with rice.

When Su Chen saw his mission progress tick up from 58 to 106, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

’The theory was completely right!’

The system would have only rated that dish as A Level, but to a spice-lover like Zhan Yang, it was a delicacy on par with S Level.

’So... this is what the main mission was all about.’

Su Chen felt a wave of relief. He was so glad he’d chosen the main mission focused on home-style cooking.

He’d understood this principle before on some level, but he’d still been trapped in the echo chamber that many chefs live in.

They were like so many famous chefs today who can’t stand to hear a single word of criticism.

For example, if a dish rated as S Level by the system required Cilantro for its aroma, then to a customer who hates Cilantro, that dish would be nothing but garbage.

And any chef who says, "Just try it, Cilantro is actually delicious," is also garbage!

’So, "Delicious Customization" isn’t just about fulfilling a customer’s stated request; it’s about satisfying the needs of their palate.’

To Su Chen, this realization felt even more important than the mission reward itself.

Having successfully sold two orders of Stir-Fried Yellow Beef, Su Chen was in high spirits over his mission progress.

"Boss..." Zhang Li said timidly from the window. "Um, could I order one too? I... I like things extra spicy!"

Su Chen wagged a finger. "Employees need to step back."